# Installing OS

You can use the Raspberry Pi Imager tool to install the OS.  

We use Ubuntu Server 64-bit as our default OS as it has the best support for all of our hardware.

You can choose this option in the Imager tool by selecting the "Other general purpose OS" menu as seen below:

<figure><img src="/files/0qbG6bxVzYL87Wg2pgtk" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### Imager Software

{% embed url="<https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/>" %}
The official Imager tool for installing an Operating System on your Pi.
{% endembed %}

### Customize install options

After choosing the OS and the storage option, you can select the small gear box in the lower-right corner of the Imager to customize your installation. We recommend the following settings:

* **Hostname**: The name the computer will be known by.  If you have been assigned a Unit ID, you should use that, e.g. `PAN021`. You can slo use any name you want although it should not container spaces or any unusual characters. We will be using `PAN021` in the example for this guide.

{% hint style="info" %}
You will use the **hostname** to access the unit, either via a web browser (running juputer notebooks) or via ssh, so it's important to choose something meaningful.
{% endhint %}

* **Enable SSH**: Click to enable and make sure "Use password authentication" is selected (unless you know what you are doing with ssh keys).
* **Set username and password**: Set the username to `panoptes`. Set an appropriate password.
* **Configure wireless LAN**: For the control box, leave this blank. For the camera box, set this to your wifi connection. Make sure to change the **Wireless LAN country** to your appropriate country, e.g. `US`.
* **Set locale settings**: Select your timezone, which should have been auto-detected.

<figure><img src="/files/7KO0gwG156FLx2trSCV8" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

When the process is finished the Imager program will say it is okay to "eject" the card. You can then remove the micro SD and place it in the Raspberry Pi to boot.

{% hint style="info" %}
The first time you boot the Raspberry Pi you should ensure that it is connected to the internet. The simplest way to check that is to have an ethernet cable going to the running Mango router (see [Network Setup](/build/hardware/control-box/network-setup.md)). The new OS will finish some installation procedures on the first boot and some of these utilize an internet connection.
{% endhint %}

When you're done you are ready to install POCS on the newly running OS!&#x20;

If you don’t have a monitor and keyboard connected, see [SSH Access](/build/software/appendix/ssh-access.md)for details on how to talk with your computer and then proceed to [Installing POCS](/build/software/installation/installing-pocs.md).

If you'd like to have a graphical environment, we recommend installing [Lubuntu](https://lubuntu.me/). This can be done with:

```bash
sudo apt install lubuntu-desktop
```


---

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